The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, it was placed under the patronage of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines formally declared the cathedral the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles (Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria) in 2012.

[4] The image of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Candelaria) perched atop the façade of the cathedral, is the first Marian image canonically crowned personal by a Pope and Saint (John Paul II) in the Philippines and Asia.

[5] In 1636, the población was transferred from Alanga to its present location for favorable weather and protection from Moro attacks.

[5] It was destroyed by the January 1948 Lady Caycay earthquake and later repaired in 1956 by the first Archbishop of Jaro, José María Cuenco.

[8] In January 2012, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines approved the cathedral as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles, the second Marian-dedicated church or cathedral (1st National Shrine in Western Visayas) to receive such status in Visayas and Mindanao.

[12] Another feature of the church is its all-male ensemble of saints placed on the main pillars, with the exception of the Virgin Mary's icon.